11. “Can tudong be understood as a metaphor for practice? When we carry a lot of heavyweight stuff for a long time, we get tired and need to drop something.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Symbolism/metaphor] [Clinging] [Suffering] [Relinquishment] [Tudong]
4. Comment by Rik Center about working with not-self in direct experience in relation to discomfort and awareness of embodied release. [Direct experience] [Feeling] [Suffering] [Impermanence] [Not-self] [Mindfulness of body] [Relinquishment] [Fear]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Proliferation]
8. “Do you think it’s enough to just be aware of the suffering that’s caused by the clinging to self?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering] [Clinging] [Self-identity view] [Dispassion] [Not-self] // [Characteristics of existence] [Cessation] [Ignorance] [Knowledge and vision] [Release] [Proliferation]
Quote: “The most efficacious investigation comes from a still mind.” [Concentration] [Calming meditation] [Insight meditation]
1. “Was the Buddha so miserable that he kept thinking about all these ideas? Where did his motivation come from?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Buddha/Biography ] [Suffering] [Desire] [Monastic life/Motivation] // [Western psychology] [Rebirth] [Spiritual search]
10. “Any advice for cures for burnout? I’m in a helping profession and feel depleted and exhausted. I need help getting the balance between giving and receiving.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Depression] [Work] [Health] [Generosity] [Compassion ] // [Culture/West] [Idealism] [Commentaries] [Selfishness]
Quote: “Compassion in the English language means ‘to suffer with.’ If you end up suffering with too much, you end up burnt out.” [Language] [Suffering]
Quote: “Don’t think you’re a ten-wheeled dump truck when all you are is a wheelbarrow.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah]
Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 291: Classical cultivation of goodwill and compassion, first to yourself. [Goodwill]
Quote: “Our ability to be with others and to help and to give is dependent on our being kind and compassionate to ourselves.” [Spiritual friendship] [Self-reliance ]
3. “A lot of my life has been based on guilt, punishment, achievement, feeling driven, and perfectionism. Recently I experienced the reverse of this. Perfectionism is mixed up with wholesome desire. Could you respond?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Judgementalism] [Perfectionism ] [Desire] [Contentment] // [Discernment] [Self-identity view] [Human]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno can’t translate the question ‘How do I work with guilt?’ into Thai. [Ajahn Paññānanda] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Language] [Culture/West] [Culture/Thailand] [Suffering]
13. “Ajahn Chah said happiness and unhappiness are two ends of suffering and we should aim for peace. Is this kind of jhānic happiness different from what he was talking about?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Happiness] [Suffering] [Jhāna]
2. “Inclining mind toward happiness, joy, lightness, exhilaration, the good, sometimes feels a bit Pollyanna-ish. What about all the wars, refugees, my job, illness, pain, etc. Aren’t these also the way things are – unpleasant, dark, and negative?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Happiness ] [Gladdening the mind] [Suffering] // [Buddha/Biography] [Aspects of Understanding]
17. “How are you satisfied and/or dissatisfied with students?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Teaching Dhamma] // [Blame and praise]
Quote: “Whatever expectations I have are my expectations.” [Suffering]
20. “Last night you spoke about balancing tranquility of mind with investigation or a theme for contemplation. Can you clarify how this can be accomplished without getting into the usual mind states of planning, associating, etc.?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Investigation of states ] [Recollection ] [Proliferation] // [Impermanence] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Discernment] [Recollection/Death] [Visualization] [Divine Abidings]
Mistaken assumption: “I think, therefore I suffer. If I didn’t think, then I wouldn’t suffer.” [Suffering]
Commentary: Path of Purification by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, p. 104: Forty subjects of meditation.
10. Comments about seeing consciousness as a nutriment. [Consciousness] [Nutriment] [Suffering]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno.
Sutta: AN 10.27.7: “All being subsist on nutriment.”
13. “I was a little confused this morning about the nutriments. I’m assuming the nutriments nourish our suffering. What are the nutriments? How would consciousness and mental volition differ in feeding dukkha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Nutriment] [Consciousness] [Volition] [Suffering] // [Food] [Contact] [Feeling] [Craving] [Aggregates]
Sutta: SN 12.63.
13. “For decades, I believed the suffering was the food itself–that cake, that pastry, more food, another bowlful. But now I understand dukkha is not ‘the thing.’ It is the overwhelming craving, the feeling itself. And now that the dukkha is understood, how do I tolerate that feeling?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Food] [Suffering] [Craving] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Patience]
21. “I have attended many deaths and that last breath appears to be really difficult to relinquish. Does this training really help? I have trouble relinquishing the small aches and pains in my body.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Death] [Relinquishment] [Long-term practice] [Pain]
Quote: “The holding on is way more painful than the relinquishing.” [Clinging] [Suffering]
1. “What does “sabbe saṅkhārā dukkhā” mean in relation to the first Noble Truth?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering] [Volitional formations] [Noble Truth of Suffering ] // [Self-pity]
Quote: “Sumedho loves to suffer.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Suffering]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fierce/direct teaching] [Compassion]
4. “In the West, we personalize every bit of suffering. Is it different in Thailand?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Culture/West ] [Suffering] [Self-identity view] [Culture/Thailand] // [Language] [Liberation]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno can’t translate guilt into Thai. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Thai] [Translation]
Quote: “That’s really suffering. Tell them not to do that.” — Ajahn Paññānanda. [Ajahn Paññānanda] [Suffering]
Reference: Can’t We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast (commercial). [Ageing] [Sickness] [Parents] [Health care]
9. “I like the translations ‘conscience’ and ‘concern’ for hiri and otappa. Having done unskillful actions in the past that create suffering, and being aware of the tendency to personalize, how can it be over and done?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Treasures] [Conscience and prudence ] [Unskillful qualities] [Suffering] [Kamma] [Self-identity view] // [Four Noble Truths] [Divine Abidings]
Quote: “As a human being, I have the opportunity to learn from the past and move on to skillful action in the future. I don’t have to be like a dog that barfs stuff up and goes back and eats it again.” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Human] [Learning] [Skillful qualities] [Similes]
Quote: “The not-self refrain, ‘This is not me, this is not mine, this is not what or who I am,’ is not an abdication of responsibility but an understanding, ‘This is the way I can put things down and move on, move past the things that are still creating suffering.’” — Ajahn Pasanno. [Not-self] [Relinquishment] [Suffering]
Suttas: SN 42.8 The Conch Blower; AN 3.100: A Lump of Salt.
12. Comments by Rik Center about ongoing Dhamma practice and coming back to the heart. [Long-term practice] [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Ill-will] [Forgiveness] [Mindfulness of mind]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit]
Quote: “We’re making choices all the time anyway; we may as well choose to be happy.” [Volitional formations] [Happiness]
4. “Could you talk about the skillful use of perception of abandoning (AN 10.60.9) so that it doesn’t move into aversion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Effort] [Aversion] [Suffering] // [Relinquishment]
2. “I have a cancer and finished my treatment and am afraid it will come back if I don’t take care of myself as doctor told. So it is my stress. How can I think about my stress to hold it in my mind?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness ] [Suffering] [Fear] // [Happiness] [Gratitude]
4. “I am so grateful for your generous teachings. I am training my mind and am so glad for the dhamma in my life. However, I am experiencing migraine attacks almost daily, and therefore therefore a lot of uncertainty and dukkha. “Will I be able to function today?” “How bad will it be?” “Will I throw up?” “Which medicine will be the most beneficial today?” “Which side effects can I deal with today?” Working with my mind under these conditions is challenging, but I am up for the challenge, at least some of the time. I could use some encouragement, please.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Sickness ] [Suffering] // [Gladdening the mind] [Compassion] [Patience] [Idealism]
1. “From my limited understanding, when the construction of self drops away in meditation, the is joy and peace. This makes me think that deep insight into anatta might be profoundly blissful. I’m having trouble seeing how the same would be true for dukkha and anicca. Can you help?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Not-self] [Insight meditation] [Happiness] [Characteristics of existence ] [Impermanence] [Suffering]
11. “How do I deal with the mind which loves someone who doesn’t love back? The mind (heart) and the brain are very hard to function normally. The thought of this suffering is overwhelming in my entire daily routines.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Relationships] [Suffering] // [Purpose/meaning] [Time management]
Sutta: AN 10.48 Ten Recollections (Chanting book translation)
3. “I got a little confused about the part [of MN 19] where it says, ‘these thoughts are not to be feared.’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] [Directed thought and evaluation] // [Right Intention] [Calming meditation] [Happiness]
Quote: “In trying to stop thinking, there’s an incredible tension that is created in the mind.” [Suffering]
Follow-up: “[MN 19] mentioned that these thoughts might make you tired.” [Sloth and torpor]
4. “When you go into your body to feel the underlying emotion behind a thought, what happens when the bodily feeling is so uncomfortable that you really don’t want to feel it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Mindfulness of body] [Emotion] [Directed thought and evaluation] [Suffering ] [Aversion] [Fear] // [Recollection/Buddha] [Recollection/Saṅgha] [Recollection/Virtue] [Faith]
Follow-up: “It seems really difficult to think of Dhamma or the refuges while in such a wrapped-up state. I don’t know if I could do that.” [Suffering ] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Visualization] [Goodwill] [Compassion]
4. Comment: Our group talked about our suffering, the kind of thoughts that we’re laboring under, the nature of obsessive and addictive thoughts, and how these teachings might help us choose freedom. [Suffering] [Addiction] [Liberation] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness of body] [Four Noble Truths]
9. Comment: It’s so hard not to identify with the contents of the mind, to not make it me and mine. Realizing how useless so many of my thoughts are helps. [Self-identity view] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Suffering] [Disenchantment] [Directed thought and evaluation]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Mindfulness] [Pāli]
Response by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Not-self] [Humility]
4. “I’m left with a deep sadness about the state of the world. I suppose that’s no different than struggling with sadness about the human condition?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Grief] [Suffering] [Human] [Politics and society] // [Compassion] [Depression] [Desire] [Right Effort] [Disenchantment] [Conventions]
9. “Some of my suffering in the current situation comes from feeling compassion with regard to specific suffering that I’m aware of and not acting in response to it. What are helpful stories to frame a patient, long-term effort to effect change?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering] [Compassion] [Patience] [Long-term practice] [Politics and society] [Kamma] [Activism] [Views] // [Association with people of integrity] [Right Effort]
Quote: “And just because one doesn’t see results doesn’t mean one shouldn’t do something. … To put the causes into something–that’s the only way that change is going to happen.” [Conditionality]
14. “I keep mostly to myself, but morality and ethics affects the jist of my involvement in society. What should I be doing further to address social suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Virtue] [Community] [Suffering] [Right Effort] [Politics and society] // [Spiritual friendship] [Goodwill]
5. “How do we break the chain of dependent origination?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Dependent origination] // [Suffering]
Quote: “As you’re falling out of a tree, you’re not counting the branches as you go down. All you know is that when you hit the bottom, it’s going to hurt.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Suffering]
4. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: The common root of renunciation and compassion is the relationship to suffering. [Renunciation] [Compassion] [Suffering]
Reading: “The Balanced Way” by Bhikkhu Bodhi on accesstoinsight.org.
11. “When is it skillful to try to help people who are suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Compassion ] [Suffering] [Teaching Dhamma]
12. “Have you found it necessary to recommend psychotherapy or medication for monks who have deep-seated ruts of suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Western psychology ] [Suffering] [Long-term practice] [Monastic life] [Saṅgha] // [Ajahn Pasanno]
16. “Can you speak about regret?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Conscience and prudence] [Restlessness and worry] // [Guilt/shame/inadequacy ] [Determination] [Skillful qualities] [Culture/West] [Kamma] [Goodwill]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno can’t translate guilt into Thai. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Thai] [Suffering]
12. “The duty in regard to the First Noble Truth is to understand suffering. How do you do this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Noble Truth of Suffering ] [Suffering] // [Fear] [Pāli] [Characteristics of existence] [Aversion] [Postures] [Direct experience] [Conditionality] [Relinquishment]
14. Story: Ajahn Chah has all his teeth pulled out. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Health] // [Suffering]
7. Story: Chanting sustains a long-time disciple of Ajahn Chah living as a businessman in Bangkok. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Lay life] [Culture/Thailand] [Chanting] // [Suffering]
3. “Can you reflect on incidents that cause suffering in your life to explore your habitual patterns?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering] [Habits] [Recollection] // [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Desire] [Not-self] [Conditionality]
8. “You mentioned that ruminating on how one would like to change the world or the conditions around oneself can be a source of needless suffering. But there are times when one does want to work to change the world or the way society is organized for the sake of lovingkindness and alleviating suffering. How do we engage with those desire for change in a skillful way?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Politics and society] [Suffering] [Desire] [Goodwill] [Compassion] [Skillful qualities] [Activism] // [Conditionality] [Self-identity view] [Conflict] [Poverty] [Judgementalism] [Aversion] [Culture/Thailand] [Environment] [Idealism]
Quote: “If one is going to commit oneself to change, one has to get used to looking at things from a big perspective, a perspective of ‘How do we include rather than exclude?’” [Community]
Quote: “You want to approach a particular problem with an open a mind as possible and then see who might be willing and able to help.”
7. “How much effort should we put in our lives so that the effort stays righteous and doesn’t lead to more suffering? I guess we have to stay mindful to see when the effort is turning into suffering, but sometimes I feel that we have to ‘suffer’ a little to achieve great things.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Right Effort] [Suffering] // [Conditionality] [Happiness]
Reflection: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 95-96: The definition of Right Effort.
5. “In regard to compassion practice, I feel as if I have refined the awareness of myself and how my actions impact others. Also, my sensitivity has increased. If I feel that I have said or done something that caused someone hurt, I immediately attempt to clean it up. At the same time, I feel great pain for having been unskillful. Please advise on how to refine my understanding so that I suffer less for this.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Compassion] [Conscience and prudence] [Suffering] // [Self-identity view] [Respect] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Skillful qualities]
1. “When everything goes the way you want and you are about to retire, but you feel a subtle, barely detectable dissatisfaction, and you’re not sure why. What specific things should you do besides ordaining and becoming a monk?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Suffering ] [Lay life] [Retirement] // [Saṃsāra] [Clinging] [Cause of Suffering] [Relinquishment]
Advice from an aged elder: “I think you should follow the Eightfold Path.” — Bhante Dharmawara [Bhante Dharmawara] [Eightfold Path] [City of Ten Thousand Buddhas] [Health care]
9. “Can you please describe the main stages of insight meditation?” Answered by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Insight meditation] [Progress of insight] // [Suffering] [Direct experience] [Cessation of Suffering] [Noble Truth of Suffering] [Ignorance] [Cause of Suffering]
Quote: “What are the stages of getting my hand out of this fire?” [Similes] [Suffering]
3. “I remember reading in one of Ajahn Chah’s books about comparing our feelings to a snake with sadness and unhappiness at its head and happiness as its tail and how we should not touch any part of its body. … How can we just watch [feelings] come in and out of our mind without interacting with it or getting influenced by it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Feeling] [Similes] [Happiness] [Suffering] [Equanimity] // [Appropriate attention]
Reference: “The Middle Way Within,” Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah, p. 2.
14. “Have you ever suffered from some sort of addiction and how did you recover from it? What would be your advice for someone suffering from an addiction?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Addiction] [Suffering] // [Sensual desire] [Self-identity view] [Spiritual friendship] [Three Refuges] [Happiness] [Appropriate attention]
3. “What are the sufferings that you still struggle with? How do you deal with them and why do you think you still suffer with these sufferings despite following the precepts and the Eightfold Path?” Answered by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Suffering] [Eightfold Path] // [Unwholesome Roots] [Monastic life] [Views] [Saṃsāra] [Liberation] [Long-term practice] [Rebirth] [Faith]
9. “My question is about the amount or type of suffering left when one reaches stream entry. In the last many years of my affiliation with Abhayagiri and Ajahn Chah, an immense amount of suffering has been resolved and fell away. … Is [the remaining suffering] different for different people or are there specific characteristics or defilements that need burning or dissolving?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Stream entry] [Suffering] [Sickness] // [Self-identity view] [Relinquishment] [Attachment to precepts and practices] [Doubt]
Sutta: SN 13.1: The amount of suffering left for one who has entered the stream. [Suffering] [Similes]
1. “This morning, Ajahn Karuṇadhammo spoke of the arising and passing away of dukkha and the subsequent non-arising. Is the non-arising synchronous with knowing, spacious knowing, boundless knowing, unborn, uncreated, unformed, unconditioned, Deathless element, the amata Dhamma?” Answered by Ajahn Ñāṇiko. [Ajahn Karuṇadhammo] [Impermanence] [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering] [Knowing itself] [Unconditioned] [Deathless] // [Liberation] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Proliferation] [Relinquishment] [Language]
1. “I have found your teachings and example of gratitude profound. Could you speak to people who don’t yet see the value of gratitude in a Buddhist practice but are inclined towards fault-finding?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Gratitude ] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Perfectionism] // [Suffering] [Gain and loss] [Community] [Happiness] [Generosity]
Quote: “We’re not autonomous packages of meat.... Trying to prop up the sense of an autonomous individual and personality is really painful and tiring.” [Self-identity view] [Suffering]
1. “Is misery the absence of happiness?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering] [Happiness] // [Language] [Conditionality] [Pāli]
Derivation of dukkha: du = not good or not comfortable; kha = where the axle goes into the wheel. [Suffering]
Story: Driving a car with frozen wheels is dukkha. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Suffering] [Similes]
1. “After the mind has settled and I’m with the breath, the boundaries of the body disappear and the breath starts to be barely perceptible. When anxiety arises in this situation, is it a feeling or a sensation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Restlessness and worry] [Feeling] [Mindfulness of breathing] // [Pāli] [Emotion] [Volitional formations]
Quote: “You’re falling out of a tree. You don’t have to count all the branches as you go down. You just have to know it’s going to hurt when you hit the bottom.” Ajahn Chah [Ajahn Chah] [Dependent origination] [Similes] [Suffering]
Follow-up: “So I can just feel the feeling tone as unpleasant, pleasant, or neutral … ?” [Noting]
5. “How does one know the difference between appropriate grieving and honoring the memory of a beloved versus clinging and attachment?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Grief ] [Clinging] // [Cause of Suffering] [Self-identity view] [Spiritual urgency]
Recollection: Grieving for Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Recollection/Saṅgha]
Quote: “It’s that personalization of experience that gets us into trouble over and over again in different ways.” [Suffering]
1. “By moving to lovingkindness [meditation], I may be missing some of the deeper insights and wisdom that are present in feelings of anger, ill-will, and resentment. I think this is what is referred to as spiritual bypassing. Can you speak to this distinction or provide suggestions for accessing the wisdom that may be present within or underneath the hindrances?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Goodwill] [Aversion] [Ill-will] [Spiritual bypass ] [Discernment] [Hindrances] // [Truth] [Suffering] [Benefit/gratification]
Quote: “Sensual desire is just trying to get a relief from suffering. Even anger and ill-will … and the same with all the rest of the hindrances. They are looking for some relief from suffering in some way, shape, or form.” [Sensual desire] [Suffering]
2. “Would you speak about your response to the events in Israel and Gaza?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Conflict] [Politics and society] // [Grief] [Human] [Suffering] [Idealism]
Quote: “The world has been a sad place for a long time.” [Nature of the cosmos] [Suffering]
18. “Can you talk about fear as a cause of dukkha and how to work with it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear ] [Suffering] // [Unwholesome Roots] [Abhidhamma] [Delusion] [Mindfulness of body] [Continuity of mindfulness] [Biases]
Quote: “In terms of personality, [fear] was my go-to option.” [Ajahn Pasanno] [Personality]
1. “From the Christian perspective, I understand we get knowledge or wisdom from God, but it is through our human effort that we get a taste of the wisdom. You mentioned [neither] moving backward, forward, or being still. In Zen meditation, they taught being present. Is this grace or effort?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Christianity] [Discernment] [God] [Human] [Right Effort] [Zen] // [Relinquishment] [Faith ] [Three Refuges]
Sutta: SN 1.1
Quote: “To me it’s much more faith that surrenders, that relinquishes, that’s willing to let go.” [Faith ]
Quote: “Suffering and being stuck in saṃsāra and in the world is just a bad habit.” [Suffering] [Saṃsāra] [Habits]
1. “What is the translation of sabbaṃ dukkhaṃ? The way you translate it seems psychological. In Sanskrit, dukkhaṃ means out of the cosmic flow of Dhamma. But perhaps dukkhaṃ is best left untranslated. If untranslated, does dukkhaṃ mean the same thing in Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering] [Pāli] [Equanimity] [Dhamma] [Translation] [Advaita Vedanta] // [Thai] [Human] [Aggregates] [Clinging ] [Knowing itself] [Relinquishment]
Ancient etymology of dukkha: du = bad, unwanted, unpleasant, uncomfortable, not easy; kha = where the axle fits into the wheel. [Suffering] [Language] [History/Indian Buddhism]
Sutta: SN 56.11.4: Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (Chanting Book translation)
Teaching: The four forms of clinging. [Clinging ] [Suffering] [Sensual desire] [Impermanence] [Naturalness] [Happiness] [Neutral feeling] [Attachment to precepts and practices] [Views] [Doctrine-of-self clinging] [Not-self]
Quote: “Nibbāna is the reality of non-grasping.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Nibbāna] [Cessation of Suffering]
1. “How do you deal with a friend who has commited suicide and the despair and grief that comes with that? How do you support a friend who has feelings of seeking annihilation and wanting to kill themselves?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suicide ] [Depression] [Grief] [Craving not to become] // [Guilt/shame/inadequacy] [Compassion] [Suffering] [Language] [Cessation of Suffering] [Fear]
Quote: “Compassion is a skillful or beautiful response to the suffering of the world.” [Suffering] [Skillful qualities]
14. Reflections by Ajahn Cunda on my early training. [Abhayagiri] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Ajahn Ñāṇiko] [Monastic life]
Quote: “Don’t worry. The first 20 years are the hardest.” — Ajahn Amaro. [Sequence of training] [Suffering]
3. “Why don’t we concentrate not so much on personal liberation, but think more about our practice? What are your thoughts about the Bodhisattva ideal, thinking of others all the time rather than achievement or personal liberation?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Liberation] [Bodhisattva] [Compassion] [Nibbāna]
Quote: “Thinking of yourself is isolating. Thinking of others is proliferating. … Suffering is an experience rather than a conceptualization.” [Self-identity view] [Proliferation] [Suffering]
Quote: “Don’t be an arahant. Don’t be a Bodhisattva. Don’t be anything at all. As long as you’re anything or anybody, you are going to suffer. And as long as you’re suffering, you’re going to be sharing that out with everyone else as well.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Arahant] [Suffering]
8. Ajahn Chah greets Jack Kornfield: “I hope you’re not afraid to suffer.”Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Jack Kornfield] [Suffering] [Fear] // [Isan] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Relinquishment] [Faith]
6. “You mentioned that often Ajahn Chah pushed his students through their suffering in order to help them let go. Can you share specific examples of this happening?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Suffering] [Teaching Dhamma] [Relinquishment]
Story: A restless ex-monk asks to reordain. Ajahn Chah says he will keep him as an anagārika for seven years. [Restlessness and worry] [Postulants] [Sequence of training]
Story: After one year, the restless monk asks to go tudong. [Tudong]
6. Ajahn Chah’s letter to Ajahn Sumedho: “Whenever you have feelings of love or hate for anything whatsoever, these will be your aides and partners in building pārami. The Buddha Dhamma is not to be found in moving forwards, nor in moving backwards, nor in standing still. This, Sumedho, is your place of non-abiding.” [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Sumedho] [Feeling] [Perfections] [Dhamma] [Emptiness] // [Self-identity view ] [Knowing itself]
Quote: “As long as we’re willing to be a somebody, we’ve got to be willing to suffer. We volunteered.” [Self-identity view ] [Suffering]
2. “Could you say a few words about how to cope emotionally with everything that’s happened since October 7? Everyone in Israel is still traumatized. This is an ongoing event, and everybody is so emotionally unstable. It’s like being on an active volcano …” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Abuse/violence] [Suffering] [Politics and society] // [Spiritual friendship] [Goodwill] [Human] [Delusion]
8. “When practicing to get out of the world, how does one avoid slipping into unhappiness with the world?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Escape] [Suffering] [Happiness] // [Saṃsāra] [Not-self] [Divine Abidings] [Unattractiveness] [Equanimity] [Gladdening the mind] [Concentration] [Knowledge and vision]
Sutta: MN 10.10: Contemplating the body as if it were a sack of grains.
Suttas: AN 6.10, AN 10.2: Causal chains yielding gladness (pāmojja) with different starting points.
3. “What is the earliest source that mentions the three kinds of dukkha?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering] // [Tipiṭaka]
Sutta: SN 45.165.
4. “When you talked about the little girl crying, was she really crying because she was miserable?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Suffering] [Happiness]
Story: A little girl cries because she got what she wanted. [Suffering] [Desire]
4. “What is the meaning of dukkha?” Answered by Ajahn Amaro. [Suffering ] // [Etymology]
4. “When developing disenchantment and dispassion by seeing the way things are, how do we not go to the extreme of aversion or the craving of unbecoming?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Disenchantment] [Dispassion] [Aversion] [Craving not to become] // [Suffering] [Four Noble Truths]
Story: Ajahn Chah prods Ajahn Pasanno to reflect on suffering. Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Suffering]
5. “How do we distinguish the nuances of happiness and suffering?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Happiness] [Suffering] // [Language]
Reflection: Any language is always a problem. [Suffering]
Quote: “The language of Dhamma is the language of feeling.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah] [Dhamma] [Feeling]
1. “Would you say that with the ending of greed, hatred, and delusion that these are eradicated and don’t arise anymore?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Unwholesome Roots] [Cessation] // [Knowledge and vision] [Cause of Suffering] [Buddha] [Arahant]
Follow-up: “We hear sometimes that it arises, but the person isn’t grasping it.”
Comment by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo: This is similar to Ajahn Chah’s declaration, “Yes, I have a lot of anger, but I don’t pick it up.” [Ajahn Chah] [Aversion] [Relinquishment]
Story: Ajahn Chah explains that the many lines in his palm mean that he had lots of suffering. [Suffering] [Ajahn Vīradhammo] [Teaching Dhamma] [Discernment]
4. “Does that mean that sadness and misery is by nature a state of delusion?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering] [Delusion]
3. “When the mind rests in awareness and it’s not going out, it feels very natural. It knows that this is the place to be, but still over and over again, no matter how clearly it sees this pure quality and peaceful quality, it still goes out to thoughts. The mind keeps going out. It keeps grabbing, it keeps identifying, even though it knows this is dukkha.” Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Knowing itself] [Clinging] [Suffering] [Long-term practice] // [Noting] [Mindfulness of mind] [Idealism] [Discernment] [Food] [Feeling] [Birth]
Quote: “It’s just that much.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Chah]
8. Comments about the everyday use of the words corresponding to mano and dukkha in Indian languages. Contributed by Anagārikā Deepa. [Language] [Pāli] [Culture/India] [Heart/mind] [Suffering]
Response by Ajahn Amaro. [Proliferation] [Ven. Ananda Maitreya] [Tipiṭaka] [Humor] [Translation] [Bhikkhu Bodhi]
4. Question about associating with and clinging to wholesome and conducive environments. Answered by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Skillful qualities] [Clinging] [Spiritual friendship] // [Suffering] [Knowing itself] [Discernment] [Amaravati] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “If you seek for security in what is insecure, you are bound to suffer.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Impermanence] [Suffering]
Quote: “Wanting what’s good without stop. That’s a disease of the mind.” — Ajahn Mun, Ballad of Liberation from the Khandhas. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Ajahn Mun] [Craving]
Quote: “Live simply; be natural.” — Ajahn Chah. Quoted by Ajahn Amaro. [Simplicity]
Story: A sincere practitioner’s family complains about his way of being mindful. Told by Ajahn Amaro. [Mindfulness] [Everyday life] [Pace of life]
5. Story: Ajahn Chah explains the many lines on his palm: “Yeah, I’ve had a lot of suffering. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to teach you.” Told by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Suffering] [Teaching Dhamma] // [Ajahn Vīradhammo]
6. Recollection: Ajahn Chah’s advice for establishing mindfulness in the midst of strong emotions. Recounted by Ajahn Amaro and Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Mindfulness] [Emotion] // [Ajahn Amaro] [Food] [Suffering] [Conditionality] [Equanimity] [Mindfulness of body] [Greed]
Story: Ajahn Chah eats 37 mangoes.
7. “When the mind feels quiet and peaceful, but there’s still something niggling away that doesn’t feel quite right, how do you work with that?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Tranquility] [Suffering] // [Patience] [Truth] [Self-reliance] [Conditionality] [Faith] [Perfections]
Recollection: It was frustrating being a disciple of Ajahn Chah and going to him with all your problems. He would just tell us to be patient. [Ajahn Chah]
2. Comment: I’ve often felt like I’ve made this deal (SN 56.35). [Suffering]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno: It’s important to bring the suffering into the heart so that it is a catalyst for change. [Suffering] [Spiritual urgency]
2. “In theory I get it, but my self, my ego, doesn’t want to let go of itself, even when it’s miserable.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Self-identity view] [Suffering] // [Release] [Not-self] [Pāli] [Conventions]
Reference: “The Not-Self Strategy” by Ajahn Ṭhānissaro.
Sutta: SN 44.10: The Buddha does not answer the question, “Is there a self?” [Questions]
3. “I’ve always found the simile of the great earth (SN 56.51) encouraging and aspirational. Is [the great mass of suffering] eroded over time or abruptly end when the view changes?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Similes] [Suffering] [Right View] [Stream entry] // [Saṃsāra]
Sutta: DN 2.102: King Ajātasattu’s crime prevents stream entry. [Killing]
Sutta: Iti 22: Puñña is another word for happiness. [Merit] [Happiness]
5. “It seems to me that suffering and joy are part of the same whole, like yin and yang. Does that mean that [a liberated person] never experiences joy?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Suffering] [Happiness] [Liberation] // [Ajahn Kovilo] [Conditionality] [Concentration]
Reference: The Wellbeing Cascade by Ajahn Kovilo.
Sutta: AN 6.63.42: Two results of suffering.
6. Comment: Some people identify with their own suffering or feel they are not worth of not suffering. The grooves in the mind—it becomes a cycle, your own suffering. [Suffering] [Self-identity view] [Guilt/shame/inadequacy]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Conditionality] [Dependent origination] [Ajahn Chah]
8. “Many of Ajahn Chah’s direct disciples have become revered teachers themselves. Would you say the harsher conditions and more rigorous practices of the early days of Wat Pah Pong played a necessary role in their training and development or was it mostly due to Ajahn Chah being such a masterful teacher?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah lineage ] [Ascetic practices] [Wat Pah Pong] [Teaching Dhamma] [Ajahn Chah] // [Humility] [Ajahn Mun]
Quote: “There’s this nostalgia for the good old days. … To me it’s a fallacy or a fantasy.” [Suffering] [Poverty]
Quote: “To be able to lay a foundation that was carried on is really exceptional.” [Saṅgha] [Leadership]
Recollection: There were an equal number of monks and nuns at Wat Pah Pong. [Mae Chee]
1. “Have you had experiences of clarifying motivation that go beyond the theoretical or abstract?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Spiritual urgency] // [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Pong] [Relinquishment]
Quote: “Was it suffering?” — Ajahn Chah. [Suffering] [Self-identity view]
Story: Ajahn Chah used ancient stones to mark the Wat Pah Pong sīmā. [Sīmā]
Quote: “Are these rocks heavy?” — Ajahn Chah. [Suffering] [Cessation of Suffering]
Sutta: SN 22.86: Dukkha and the ending of dukkha. [Suffering]
7. “We have the fifth precept about refraining from alcohol and drugs. Were there lots of alcoholics and drug addicts in the Buddha’s time? Can this be applied in 2025 to people struggling with addiction to watching news, mobile phones, or social media?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Intoxicants] [News] [Social media] // [Abhayagiri] [Suffering]
Quote: “We’re addicted to suffering.” [Suffering]
7. Recollection: He was always willing to push us beyond what we thought we could do. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fierce/direct teaching] [Ajahn Chah] // [Intuition]
Quote: “I hope you’re not afraid of suffering. … If you’re afraid of suffering, you’re not going to grow in wisdom here.” — Ajahn Chah to Jack Kornfield. [Jack Kornfield] [Fear] [Suffering] [Discernment]
Quote: “If you want to stay here, you have to stay at least five years.” — Ajahn Chah to Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Sequence of training] [Determination]
Story: Ajahn Chah asks the young Ajahn Pasanno to become abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Abbot] [Sickness]
9. Recollection: Ajahn Pasanno’s first lunar observance night at Wat Pah Pong. Recounted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Wat Pah Pong] [Lunar observance days] [Ajahn Chah] // [Monastic life] [Pace of life] [Patience]
Quote: “You learn as you go. You expand your ability to go beyond the limitations you set for yourself.” [Learning]
Quote: “The more you resist and complain in your mind, the more you suffer.” [Aversion] [Suffering] [Habits]
12. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Ajahn Chah’s compassion and empathy. [Compassion] [Ajahn Chah]
Quote: “I’ve been like that.” — Ajahn Chah. [Ajahn Munindo] [Suffering]
7. Reflection by Ajahn Pasanno: Absorbing the truth, “Even the Sāsana will pass away,” doesn’t lead to a sense of dismay; it leads to wonder and the motivation, “How can I help others?” [Truth] [Spiritual urgency] [Compassion] [Suffering] [Impermanence] [Characteristics of existence]
Recollection: Ajahn Chah saw so clearly and was incredibly compassionate. [Ajahn Chah] [Fierce/direct teaching]
Quote: “What is the mind of an arahant like?” – “Only compassion.” — Ajahn Mahā Boowa. [Ajahn Mahā Boowa] [Ajahn Mun]
Quote: “Anicca, dukkha, and anatta are tools we rely on for transforming the heart.”
4. “How do you deal with the fear of renunciation and sacrifice that you do on the path of practice? Giving things up that are familiar and comfortable, or even that you know are uncomfortable, but there’s still that dukkha around it. Or after you’ve given up, the mind can proliferate on these subjects a lot. What has your experience been like?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Cunda. [Renunciation] [Fear] [Suffering] [Proliferation] // [Self-identity view] [Cessation of Suffering] [Relinquishment] [Discernment] [Happiness] [Monastic life]
Quote: “Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it.” — David Foster Wallace. Quoted by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clinging]
Story: Just sweep the leaves in front of your broom. Told by Ajahn Cunda. [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Present moment awareness] [Similes]
Story: A young child struggles to give Ajahn Sumedho a candy on almsround. Told by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo. [Generosity] [Almsround] [Ajahn Sumedho]
1. “Could you describe dukkha? One of your similes that I love relates dukkha to Canadian tires in the wintertime.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Pāli] [Similes] [Suffering] // [Translation] [Ajahn Chah] [Ajahn Ṭhānissaro] [Ajahn Pasanno]
2. “Could you describe the difference between the suffering of the three characteristics and the suffering of the Four Noble Truths, the first and second arrows (SN 36.6)?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Characteristics of existence] [Four Noble Truths] [Suffering] // [Self-identity view]
Reference: Amaravati Chanting Book, p. 11: “Birth is dukkha…”
3. “There’s a Simon and Garfunkel song that has the line, “Hello darkness, my old friend.” I’ve heard you change the lyrics of that to, “Hello dukkha, my old friend.” How far back does your understanding of dukkha go? You talk to some Americans, and they’re like, “Dukkha, suffering? I don’t have any of that.” Looking back, when did you first meet dukkha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Popular culture] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Suffering]
4. “When did you first have faith that there was truly a way out?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Cessation of Suffering] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Suffering] // [Ajahn Chah]
5. “There’s a story about waiting for the afternoon sweet drink all night long (Stillness Flowing by Ajahn Jayasaro, p. 504). Was this you?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Chah] [Medicinal requisites] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Suffering]
Story: Ajahn Pasanno’s first Pāṭimokkha at Wat Pah Pong. [Wat Pah Pong] [Pāṭimokkha] [Posture/Sitting] [Mae Chee]
Reflection: Ajahn Chah provided the opportunity to reflect about difficulty (Thai toramon). [Suffering] [Fierce/direct teaching ]
Quote: “I don’t teach wisdom. I just give toramon.” — Ajahn Chah. [Discernment]
6. “You have lived with intense physical pain for some time due to many injuries. You don’t mention it often or show it at all really. What methods do you use to confront that most coarse form of dukkha?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno and Ajahn Kovilo. [Pain ] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Suffering] // [Mindfulness] [Goodwill] [Patience] [Pāli] [Perfections] [Fear]
Quote: “We have the resources within ourselves to not be intimidated by pain or discomfort.” [Self-reliance]
7. “I’m also curious about mental pain. In 1992, you were invited by Ajahn Chah to become the abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat when you were less than ten years in robes. Shortly after, Ajahn Chah became paralyzed and was no longer able to communicate. You took groups of monks every week to pay respects to him, and for ten years were looking after him. Can you explain how you related to that whole mass of dukkha that must have come up? How do you advise others dealing with similar things?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] [Abbot] [Sickness] [Suffering] // [Grief] [Fear] [Leadership] [Humility ] [Pain] [Self-identity view]
8. “How can you acknowledge the limitations of the personality and of the circumstance but find a deeper wisdom beyond that? For those who find themselves in difficult situations with life and think that release of suffering in this life is beyond them, what thoughts would you offer?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Personality] [Discernment] [Everyday life] [Cessation of Suffering] [Suffering] // [Spiritual friendship ] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Ajahn Chah] [Wat Pah Nanachat] [Abbot] [Thai Ajahn Chah lineage] [Ajahn Dune] [Community] [Culture/West] [Saṅgha]
9. “Luang Por Dune reframes the Four Noble Truths. He says the cause of dukkha is ???, sending the mind out, and the result of that is dukkha. The path is ???, the mind seeing the mind, and the fruit of that is the Third Noble Truths, nirodha. Can you say more about this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Ajahn Dune ] [Four Noble Truths] [Cause of Suffering] [Thai] [Suffering] [Eightfold Path] [Cessation of Suffering] // [Proliferation] [Mindfulness of mind]
10. “The world has real fears in it right now—AI, war, beyond.... What thoughts do you have for people dealing with the suffering of the wider commentary, the news cycle, and real concerns about the shape of politics in the world?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Fear] [Politics and society] [Suffering] // [Community]
Vinaya: Mahāvagga 1.11: “Go out for the welfare and happiness of the manyfolk.” [Buddha/Biography]
11. “What about someone who votes and is doing their best to take care of their local community, but they still find their heart darkening with these concerns?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Politics and society] [Community] [Depression] [Suffering] // [Human]
Quote: “The world has been falling about for a long time. This is not a new phenomenon.”
Recollection: The 30th anniversary of Nature Care. [Environment] [Ajahn Pasanno] [Non-profit organizations]
Quote: “If I did it with the idea that I’ve got to protect all the forests in Thailand, I’d just get frustrated. But what I can do is plant seeds for people to protect at least some of it, and that’s a good example for other people in the future.”
12. “We’ve already talked about the quote from the Buddha, “Spiritual companionship is the whole of the Holy Life (SN 45.2).” Someone asked you a question about that, and you said, “Living with other people—it’s horrible!” And then you laughed a huge Luang Por Pasanno laugh. Could you talk about the paradox that living with other people is half the Holy Life and it’s dukkha? You didn’t have to be an abbot. You could have lived a hermit’s life. Any insights into balancing that?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Spiritual friendship] [Community] [Seclusion] [Suffering] // [Patience] [Compassion]
14. Brief reflection for the Clear Mountain Project: “Don’t confuse what’s really important.” [Clear Mountain] [Suffering] // [Spiritual friendship] [Liberation]
Sutta: MN 30: Cūḷasāropama Sutta (Shorter Heartwood Simile).
15. “Having lived in Thailand for over 20 years and in America for 30 years, do you see any American patterns of dukkha, ways that Americans get caught?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Culture/West] [Suffering] // [Self-identity view] [Selfishness] [Judgementalism] [Conceit] [Relinquishment]
Quote: “I can never get enlightened.” — Ajahn Sumedho. [Ajahn Sumedho] [Liberation]
Quote: “The ‘I’ does not have inherent existence. We have to make it. And then we have to look after it.” [Not-self] [Suffering]
17. “Do you have any final advice for two monks in Seattle.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Clear Mountain] // [Generosity] [Three Refuges]
Quote: “This is just the beginning of your dukkha.” [Suffering]